


Teach You to Holler

by thatpocketlint



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 05:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2257149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatpocketlint/pseuds/thatpocketlint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark knows how to argue, thank you very much, and there's just no way he's going to have a sore throat tomorrow just because of a little yelling.</p><p>Steve Rogers knows Tony Stark better than his boyfriend might realize, thank you very much, and there's just no way Tony's going to have a voice tomorrow if he keeps that up.</p><p>Or, that one where Steve is right and Tony dreads the moment when he finds out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teach You to Holler

It had been so stupid. Tony was cranky, his latest science-binge was not going well. Dum-E had just poured scalding hot coffee all over Tony's crotch and for some god awful reason one of the speakers wasn't working correctly. The bass sounded way off, and that threw off the ACDC Tony had been trying to enjoy. One of those days where anything that could go wrong, had gone wrong, and now Tony was throwing things.

Cue Steve. Big, dumb, beautiful, wonderful- okay, no, just Steve. He'd been away on some super special secret mission with Natasha and honestly all he wanted to do was drag Tony to bed. What happened once they got to the bed was honestly free to the imagination. Point is, he was tired and a little sore, pent up from a few nights on his own, and overall not thinking when he entered the lab and actually turned off the music.

Tony's head shot up, eyes centering in on him in a second. Part of him wanted to rejoice because of course he'd missed his best-friend-boyfriend while he was gone. But Tony was a complex creature, so rather than going with what most of him wanted he listened to that tiny voice in the back of his head demanding he holler at him.

"Don't just barge in here and shut off my speakers," Tony snapped, abandoning Dum-E's scolding to instead lash out at Steve. He was tired. So ready for bed. So ready for those big strong arms, and all the things that those calloused hands could do to him. "I'm busy, you know I hate when you-"

"Busy yelling over nothing?" Steve countered playfully, hoping to ease Tony into a better mood with that winning smile of his. The way Tony's eyes flickered told him no, no that was not the case.

"It's not nothing, I have scalding hot coffee all over my pants now, an experiment that wants to fight me every step of the way, malfunctioning hardware-"

"Tony, come on, you're being unreasonable-" Steve tried. Really, he tried here.

"And then in walks Captain America like he owns the place- which he doesn't, by the way, this is my lab, and you can't just-" Tony was working himself up pretty good, and his voice was getting louder as he went.

"You better quiet down or you're going to have a sore throat in the morning." Steve was smirking, and that was really making Tony's mood even worse because honestly how was he supposed to be angry at a face like that?

"I will talk as loud as I damn well please Rogers, and if you're here to take me out of the lab you can forget it! I've got too much to do, so you'll have to make do with your hand tonight or something. I am not about to just drop everything because you've decided to grace our home with your presence you big, stupid-" Okay, and his throat was actually starting to get sore now, so he threw his hands up and just gestured to Steve. Big stupid you.

Steve waited, letting Tony catch his breath. Then he leaned back against the wall looking far too content and not at all bothered by any of what Tony had just thrown at him.

"Is that what this is about? You missed me?" And the way his lips twisted up into a smile had Tony's eyes narrowing because damn him. And he was about to give in, this was all about to go so well when suddenly Steve was pushing off of the wall, coming over for what Tony was sure was a kiss, and Tony moved to brace himself against the table behind him and-

There was a sudden shattering, and both of them froze. Tony actually looked a little pale, because he didn't even have to look to know that was what he'd been working on.

"Tony... hey, breathe babe, come on, it's al-"

"Steven Rogers do not fucking finish that sentence," Tony hissed, pushing Dum-E aside as he tried to sweep up the pieces. No, maybe it was.. fixable, maybe it could just.. Okay no, this thing was garbage now. Days without sleep for nothing, and the reason was reaching for his shoulder. Tony turned on Steve in an instant. "Why the fuck did you think it was a good idea to come barging in here when you knew I was probably-"

But Steve fired right back. "Now hold on a minute, of course I thought it was a good idea to come see the man I love after being gone for days-"

"Working on something, something important, I don't spend nights on end down here without reason. Not without good, logical, result-producing reason-" Tony wasn't stopping, but he was getting louder.

"Because I missed you, Tony, you know I hate being away- Tony, stop yelling, you're going to regret it- And I knew you'd be down here trying to avoid the bedroom because I wasn't there-" Steve wasn't stopping.

Neither of them was stopping.

This escalated rather quickly, to the point where Tony was actually screaming at Steve rather than reverting to being cold and cruel as he typically would. Steve was being a pretty good sport, but he was only human and so after a bit he started to sneak in a few comments that he knew would only fire Tony up more. Steve's version of sneak was actually more so bluntly throwing things out there without any sort of tact, but oh well. The point was, after about ten minutes of this they both finally fell silent, and Tony stared at him with his jaw clenched while Steve gave him that typical look, arms crossed.

Tony was too tired for this.

He pushed past Steve, leaving the soldier actually a little startled. Tony usually gave in to that look. When the genius didn't stop at the door, Steve followed him, reaching out for his arm.

"Where are you going?" he wanted to know, wondering if he had actually crossed a line here.

"To bed," Tony replied simply, shaking Steve's hand free. "You can come if you'd like." It was the least inviting invitation Steve had ever been given, especially by Tony, who would typically drop every hint ever that he wanted Steve in his bed. The soldiers confidence was knocked a little, but he did follow Tony up to bed. He even held him, albeit a bit awkwardly as both of them were still a little stiff from the tension between them.

Steve figured he'd fix things in the morning.

Problem was, by the time morning came and Steve finally opened his eyes the bed was empty. He decided he must have overslept. Of course Tony would use that to his advantage. Steve couldn't help it though. Curled up close with Tony, inhaling him and clinging to his familiar warmth had been so welcomed after days of sleeping alone. He always slept best this way.

Steve's first thought was that he had to apologize. He knew Tony well enough to skip the search and head straight to his workshop. Stark was such a predictable guy, though Steve never once had a complaint about it. It was one of the things he loved about Tony. Even with how off the wall he could be, with the surprises he could manage to toss at Steve, Tony stayed consistent on the important things.

So when Tony wasn't there in the lab, Steve felt momentary panic.

Just how bad had that fight been? Tony hadn't looked all that bothered. At least, not enough to warrant him going to such extreme lengths to avoid Steve. The super soldier immediately took to thinking over the entire conversation from the night before. He couldn't imagine anything that would send Tony into such a fit that he'd even abandon the sanctuary of his labs, and five minutes later he was tracking down Natasha and Clint. Who better to find Tony?

"You mean to tell me you lost Tony?" Clint asked as Steve explained the majority of it- leaving the details of their fight out for the moment- and Steve didn't miss the light in Barton's eyes. "This is priceless. How's it feel to be in the doghouse?"

"Enough," Natasha hissed at him, giving him a quick nudge with her elbow. "I'm sure it's not that bad Steve. Maybe he was in the bathroom. Do you really want us to waste our time tracking down your boyfriend?"

"But he's always in the lab," Steve protested, and perhaps it was because she loved him or perhaps it was because Captain America had a really nice set of puppy dog eyes, but Natasha was rolling her eyes and shoving him aside.

"Keep your phone handy."

With that, she and Clint were gone. Steve spent the next forty minutes scouring the tower. He'd asked Jarvis, finally, but apparently Tony had set his location to be accessed only upon emergency. Of course. Steve was frantic, heading for the elevator to check the lower floors when..

Tony stepped out of it.

There was an awkward moment where Tony met Steve's eyes and looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just... walked past him. Was he seriously still upset with him over last night? Not even a hello? That was just about that, and he followed Tony into the kitchen as the billionaire opened his freezer and pulled out a firecracker. Stark had insisted the freezer stay stocked with the red, white, and blue popsicles as a joke at first, and it had apparently stuck. Steve's mood soured even further as Tony took to eating the snack but still wouldn't say anything to him.

"Tony," Steve tried.

Nothing.

"Anthony," Steve tried again, this time at least getting a scowl. But Tony went right back to sucking on that popsicle, and Steve found himself steadily becoming distracted with it. No, wait, there was a real problem here!

"Anthony Edward Stark!" This time Tony's head shot up, and he opened his mouth to say something but then pursed his lips tightly. That did it. Steve didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was getting to the bottom of it now. "All this over some stupid little fight last night? You've got to be kidding me. What do you want? I'm sorry, alright? But you're just being childish now. I've been worried sick about you all day. Cling and Natasha searched the whole tower and-"

"Steve, looks like Stark went to see a doct-" Natasha entered the kitchen, only to find that Tony was here. "Oh, good. You found him. Thanks for calling off the search."

Steve flushed momentarily, but crossed his arms.

"Sorry, he just got here," Steve noted. "I would have called off the search but I was a little preoccupied. Apparently Tony is much more interested in this pop-"

Steve stopped, thinking hard. Doctors? For what? And the popsicle...

The super soldier's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter, before he was outright chuckling, and while Natasha fixed him with a quirked brow Tony only ducked his head and tried to flee.

"Oh no," Steve said firmly, grabbing Tony by the arm and tugging him close. "You're not getting away that easy. What's the matter, cat got your tongue? You had to go see a doctor to figure out exactly what I told you last night? You could have asked me for a remedy- you know, if you could talk, which I'm betting is pretty hard right now." He was so smug, and Tony's brows drew closer and closer as he spoke.

"Hurts," Tony finally grunted, voice a thin rasp and once more Natasha's eyes were rolling. Oh boy. This was the last time she was helping Steve find Tony.

"I told you it would," Steve reminded him as Natasha made her exit. "Seriously? A doctor? Ow- Tony don't pinch me, it's your own fault that I have something to make fun of you for now." He shoved Tony back into a seat and moved to the stove, turning on the kettle and pulling down a mug. "That'll teach you to yell at me, won't it?"

Steve knew he should probably leave well enough alone, but come on, how often did he have a chance to tease a silent Tony?

"How'd you tell Jarvis not to let us know where you were?" Steve wondered, pulling down a fresh tea bag and coming to rest with his chin on the Island that Tony was seated at. Stark finished off his firecracker and flicked the stick at the super soldier. "Jarvis, secret code one zero five." Steve dropped his voice to a mocking rasp, and he couldn't quite complain about the shove it received.

"Jerk," Tony squeaked at him, and then dropped his head into his hands. He hated when Steve was right. He'd known last night- when they stopped arguing- that he'd have a sore throat today. It was why he'd said so little when they went to bed. He was hoping to fix the situation before Steve caught on. Too little too late now, wasn't it?

The water came to a boil and a few minutes later Steve was setting a piping hot cup in front of Tony. For a moment they just stared at each other, Tony trying to look angry and Steve unable to drop the goofy grin from his lips. Then he was leaning in to capture Tony's, kiss sweet and apologetic. As much as he was enjoying this he hated to see the man in any sort of agony. Finally he broke away and gestured to the tea.

"Drink it while it's warm. I've gotta go tell Barton about this, he'll enjoy it."

"Don't-" Tony tried, but Steve either ignored him or didn't hear. With a sigh the genius gathered his tea and another popsicle and went to hole up in the bedroom. Lab would be nice, but he felt like moping now.

Hours passed, and a short nap later Tony was stretching out and rolling over. Hands connected with something solid, and he opened one eye to find he was holding onto Steve's thigh as the super soldier sat up sketching something. Probably him. Tony propped himself up on his elbows, trying to peak. Steve promptly shut the sketch book.

"Brought you more tea," Steve told him, trading the book for the cup on his bedside table. "How's your throat? Better?"

Tony hesitated, but cleared his throat and decided to give it a try.

"Fuck you," Tony said, and eyes lit up as he realized how clear the words came. Throat still protested slightly but that was alright! He was much better now! Now Tony was the one with the smug grin, and he sat up in a rush. "Hah! So take that Capsicle, I'm fine now. What was all the smug shit talk earlier?"

"Accurate shit talk," Steve corrected, setting the tea down.

As Tony opened his mouth to go on Steve brought their lips together, tugging Tony into his lap. There was a momentary struggle before Tony huffed and relaxed, and as they broke away the genius didn't even have it in him to glare. Steve pressed a hand to Tony's cheek, gently tracing the right corner of his bottom lip.

"I've been waiting all day for this," Steve admitted.

"For me to be able to yell at you again?" Tony replied. "Well you're a little strange with your kinks, I'll give you that-"

Steve laughed again, silencing Tony with a kiss. "On second thought, maybe you were better with a sore throat." Steve wiggled his eye brows and leaned back into the headboard, admiring Tony for the moment. "Waiting all day to tell you I'm sorry we fought. And more importantly, that I love you. Even on our worst days, Tony. Voice or no voice. Don't you forget it."

Tony fidgeted, a little overwhelmed with how sweet Steve was. Sometimes he just got so caught up in his own pride that he forgot how nice it was to have his super soldier here to take care of him.

"I love you too, Cap," Tony replied after a moment, leaning in to rest his head on his shoulder. "I guess I'm kind of sorry too. For uh... yelling louder than you did. Or something." He could feel Steve's chest rumbling with quiet laughter, and he flicked him. "Hey, I'm trying to be genuine here."

"I know Tony, I know. You're doing good at it. You should try it more often."

"Yeah, and Dum-E should be given sharp objects," Tony grumbled, before sitting up once more. "What's for dinner? It's Clint's night to-" He froze. "Oh.. oh no, you didn't tell them, did you?"

Steve couldn't stop the grin from spreading to his lips.

"I think they said something about a team-sized banana split for desert," he offered innocently, and he didn't stop Tony- or his cackling- as the genius fled to the kitchen.

He was sure to have a sore throat again by the time dinner was through.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my tumblr post, found here:  
> http://snark-naked.tumblr.com/post/95562900292/imagine-tony-losing-his-voice-the-day-after-a-big
> 
> Because it got so many hits. ;; Wow. 
> 
> And also good practice to get back into writing my main story.
> 
> Also god I'm sorry if this is not fabulous I am so rusty with Stony.


End file.
